Friday, June 13, 2008

Dad...

Hi All,

I know I said this week would be on fire trucks, but since it is Fathers Day weekend, I wanted to take today and tell you a little bit about the greatest man I ever knew, my dad...

Back in December of 2006, a week after christmas, my dad was diagnosed with Lung and Bone Cancer. At the time we were still going through the adoption process and had not been selected yet. My biggest fear at the time was that my dad would not get to meet my future son/daughter. That all changed on April 3, 2007 when I got to call my dad and tell him he was a grandpa. I think he was the happiest man on earth, considering the fight he was in dealing with the cancer. This photo was taken at my parents house on Fathers Day Last Year and Is one of my favorite photos.

My dad was always supportive of me being in the fire service, he always came to any parade our department was participating in. I can always remember seeing my dad with a big smile on his face as we would go by in the engine or truck.

Of course, Dad did not always understand the way we did things at times in the fire service. I can remember a time when my department was on a barn fire and Dad was reading about it in the paper, he turn to me and say "Wood, why on earth did you guys have sixteen fire companies at this barn?? Was it that big???" I'd say, yeah dad, we had sixteen companies there, but ten of those companies were for their tankers since there are no hydrants close by. He sit for a second, pondering that and then say "Well, that makes sense"

On March 25th, 2008, I received the worst phone call ever in my life. My dad had lost his battle with the cancer. The following days were nothing but a blur, with trying to make arrangements, calling family members and helping my mom deal with things and get things in order.

I guess the main reason I started this blog, I had been watching fellow bloggers Bradley Myers and Brian Bastinelli for awhile, just checking out there sites and learning more about the history of the Shippensburg Fire Department. This blog has been my therapy so to speak by helping me direct my thoughts toward something else, I miss my dad everyday don't get me wrong, by doing this blog, it helps me to deal with the grief and is been helping me move forward so to speak, If that makes sense??

Well all, I hope you have a great weekend and I will start back Monday with more old school rigs..

3 comments:

Woody, I am very sorry for your loss, I read your post today and really don't know what to say. My father is still alive, but we have never really been father and son. The two people I looked up to for guidence and friendship, my grandfather and Jackson Gerhart have both passed away, so I can understand your pain. Happy second fathers day to you.

About Me

I am a Fire/Ems dispatcher and also a former volunteer firefighter who enjoys photography. I now serve as the photographer for my department. I am still new at photography and am always looking for tips on how to improve my photography. All photos were shot with a Nikon D40 SLR. All photos are copyright on this blog and may not be used without my permission.